Higher Ground (13 page)

Zach kissed him. Not as hungry a kiss as the ones they’d shared so far. Quite soft, over quickly. No beard rasp on this one, as they were both freshly shaven and smooth skinned. As they broke, Adam was the one who said it this time, with a grin.

“Thank you.”

“I, er, you’re welcome. Right, I’d better pack my gear. Will you help me? You’re an experienced hiker, aren’t you?”

“I am,” Adam said as he followed Zach into the bedroom. He hiked in the hills for fun with small groups, all experienced walkers and climbers like him. He suspected the hiking they’d do in this case would be very different.

Zach stripped the sheets off the bed and tossed them in the corner. He grabbed a backpack from a closet and stood it on the bed, awaiting Adam’s advice. Adam had his Link in his hand with Zach’s list of items and his personal packing checklist, but he barely needed to refer to them.

“Item one,” he said. “Tent.”

“Ah. I don’t have one.”

“You can share mine.” Adam could have bitten his tongue as the words slipped out. They felt somehow more—hah—portentous than an invitation to share a tent for a couple of nights ought to.

If Zach found the words as portentous as Adam did, he didn’t show it, just nodded. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Adam glanced at his watch. Nearly 07:30. They’d better move this along. He went through the rest quickly. Some of the more specialized gear Zach didn’t have. But he had all the essentials. He must have done some field trips on his mineral surveys, even if he didn’t go walking for fun.

“Oh and last of all.” Adam grinned and picked up the lube they’d left on the nightstand. He put it in his pocket.

“I don’t know how much chance we’ll have of using that out on the trail,” Zach said, looking doubtful.

“A good hiker is always prepared.”

Chapter Ten

Adam had been right about the pets. Dogs ran around among the crowd. Some people carried cats in bulky, awkward boxes. Zach supposed there were even rabbits, guinea pigs, canaries, and who knew what else? But he didn’t care, simply happy there
was
a crowd. Despite Adam’s reassurance, he’d feared arriving to find only Professor Korrie and the Franes.

“Some people are carrying way too much,” Adam said as they got out of the truck. “We’re going to leave a trail of abandoned stuff behind us. Those kitty carriers, for one.”

“How many people do you think?” Zach asked.

“Perhaps three hundred.”

Three hundred, out of twelve hundred. Zach looked at his watch. It was 07:56. “There’s still time for more to come.” He heard raised voices from an edge of the crowd and smiled wryly at Adam. “And I expect you’re right about how long it will take to get away.” He got no reply and turned to see Adam scanning the crowd. “Adam?”

“Hm, what?” Adam shook himself, a moment of pain showing on his face before he turned it back into a smile. “Yeah. Let’s go see who’s being shouted at.”

It was the Franes. They stood at bay, with Sheriff Statham, Colleen Johnson, and other council members berating them and demanding they turn off the distress signal. Simon and Visha wore defiant glares, Simon holding his daughter, who looked frightened. But they didn’t back down, and Zach hoped that meant there might be some chance yet for the people who didn’t come with them today, if only rescue came in time.

“I could arrest you both and lock you up right now,” Statham said to the Franes as Zach and Adam arrived.

“You’d be signing their death warrants if you did,” Zach said. This brought everyone’s attention to him. The ringleader. The cause of all this trouble.

“I thought you arrested him.” Morrison glared at Statham.

“His friend posted bail.” Statham nodded at Adam, who got another of Morrison’s blistering glares.

“Him! He should be arrested for stealing Institute property. Give me the keys for the truck, Mr. Gray.”

Adam put a hand in his pocket, and for a second, Zach thought he was about to hand them over, but he left the hand there and shook his head. “No. Sorry, sir.”

“You’re fired.”

Adam grimaced and flashed Zach a look full of torn feelings, probably wondering if he’d thrown away his job on a fool’s errand. What could Zach say to comfort him? Zach could hardly
hope
he was right, but he was still sure of his findings. In only a few days, Adam’s job and everyone else’s would be gone anyway. He’d have to live with the torn feelings until then.

“Do you really think you can lead all these people out of Arius and climb the mountains, Benesh?” Johnson said. “There are elders here. Children and infants. What about if anyone is hurt or falls ill?”

“Then that’s where I come in.”

They all turned at the voice. It came from Dr. Howie, the senior medical doctor of the colony, a man around Korrie’s age. He carried a large and bulging backpack—filled with medical supplies, Zach hoped—and a hiking pole. Despite his age, he looked fit and lean. Zach sighed with relief. A doctor.

“He’s a founder,” Adam said, close to Zach’s ear. “And a council member. If he’s prepared to leave…”

“Gene, you can’t be serious,” Johnson shouted. “You’ve fallen for this nonsense?”

“You’ve lived here for forty years, man,” Morrison said. “You can’t just leave.”

“Watch me,” Howie said. “Anyway, whether Dr. Benesh here is right or wrong, they are going to need a doctor. I could use a few days in the country.” He smiled and donned a pair of sunglasses.

“Good to have you aboard, sir,” Zach said, offering him a handshake.

“I’ll tell you what else you can’t go without,” Statham said. “A cop.”

Did he mean himself? Though Zach wanted everyone to come, he didn’t much relish the company of the sheriff. But then he spotted the deputy he’d talked at for hours the night before, Barbara Torres, dressed for hiking. She sat on her backpack, leaning against a police car, apparently half asleep. Resting while others argued—a smart move.

“Barbara!” Adam exclaimed, sounding delighted. She smiled at him.

“Hi, Adam.”

“I’m sending her with you,” Statham said. “To keep order.”

Zach couldn’t argue, didn’t want to. “Good,” he said, which seemed to annoy the sheriff. Did the man expect him to argue? Zach wanted
everyone
to come. Deputy Torres might be assigned to go with them, but the assignment would save her life. He glanced at Adam, who seemed to know her well. He’d have to ask him about her later. He wouldn’t like to think she’d be doing anything to sabotage their efforts.

He glanced at his watch. Well after eight. Right. These arguments could go on all day, but they had to move. He spotted a flatbed truck similar to Adam’s nearby and turned away from the still-arguing group to climb up into the bed.

“Can I get everyone’s attention, please,” he called. His voice didn’t carry the way it had in the dome. The morning breeze whipped it away. He raised it to a shout. “Can I get your attention?”

The crowd faltered into silence and looked up at him expectantly. Zach’s mouth went dry as hundreds of people stared at him, some of them hostile. He took off the broad-brimmed hat he’d brought to keep the sun off and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

“Um, good morning, everyone.”

“Louder.” Adam’s voice from below. Not a shout. He was standing right by the truck, and only people close by would have heard him. Zack coughed and spoke louder.

“Thank you for coming here. Thank you for believing me. I know this is difficult and frightening, but you have made the right choice. We’re leaving now. Not everyone has vehicles, so please, make all the room you can for your neighbors.”

He hoped there were enough vehicles. If not, he’d find some more. Or they’d take some people to the foothills, start them climbing, and come back to town for the rest. They could do this.

“You’ll be pleased to know we have Dr. Howie and Deputy Torres traveling with us. I know they’ll help to keep us all safe.”

“Is there any word about evacuation?” someone called. “Rescue ships?”

“Not yet. But the distress signal is still transmitting.”

“Illegally!” Johnson shouted. Zach ignored her. Such technicalities no longer mattered.

A ripple went through the crowd of people, who perhaps hoped they weren’t going to have to climb right to the top of the mountains. That they were only buying the time to stay ahead of any floodwater before rescue showed up. Zach scanned the crowd, assessing them. Most of the people in the colony were under the age of fifty, something reflected in the crowd. But there were older people too, those from the early years who’d stayed here even after they retired. Most looked pretty fit, but they might still struggle when the climb got steep.

“There’s been no new seismic activity,” Morrison called out in an authoritative, carrying voice, more used to public speaking than Zach. “Benesh is wrong. You’re putting yourself in more danger in the mountains than you are staying here. Don’t be fools. Don’t take your children into danger.”

“You’re the fool, Roy.” That was Korrie. She had her cat, as predicted, but not in a carrier. Instead, it sat in her backpack with its head poking out, looking massively unimpressed by the whole situation. “And you’re going to die if you stay here and the sea comes through those vents before rescue arrives.”

“We are leaving,” Zach called, loud, over their argument. “Get organized. Get into the vehicles. We’re heading for Shusara.”

It was one of the least difficult climbs, according to Adam, and it also had plenty of water available from streams. At the top lay a long ridge. If they made it that far, they’d have enough flat ground to await rescue. The situation could be pretty desperate by then, but it was the best plan they had.

“If there are no more questions…”

About fifty questions came Zach’s way in a babble of voices.

* * * *

“I guess I lost my bet,” Adam said as they prepared to leave shortly after nine.

“Good,” Zach said, earning a grin and a playful punch on the arm.

There’d been more arguments, more questions, and plenty of chaos as they distributed people into the vehicles. But it was done. The vehicles were all loaded. A half dozen people sat in the bed of Adam’s truck, and Professor Korrie got into the cab. Zach did some last-minute rushing about, having final words with people. Johnson, Morrison, and Statham were arguing with each other. Johnson had demanded that Statham stop the people leaving, and he’d politely asked her to suggest how. When she had no answer, he’d turned away to talk to Barbara Torres. Some last-minute instructions, no doubt.

Zach hoped she’d be useful. Adam had said he’d been on hikes and potholing expeditions with her in the group, and, while not the most lighthearted of companions, she was always calm and reliable. At last Zach ran to Adam’s truck and jumped in.

“Wagons roll?” Adam said.

“I’m sorry?” Zach said, baffled. Korrie giggled.

“Ready to go?” Adam said.

“Oh. Yes. Everyone is ready.”

Adam drove off. Behind them, a long line of vehicles formed up and followed.

“Wow, I never led a parade before,” Adam said. In a few minutes, they passed the Institute, the test fields where Zach had first seen Adam. Adam sighed, and Zach looked at him, then at the fields.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “About your experiments. All your work for your doctorate.”

“I’m just worried my parents will accuse me of making up this whole island-sinking-into-the-ocean thing to get them to subsidize me for another year.”

The long road across the basin to the Shusara region lay ahead, and Zach settled in for the drive, falling asleep inside two minutes, his head on Korrie’s shoulder and her arm around him.

* * * *

Korrie woke Zach as the convoy approached the end of the road. He looked out of the windshield at the mountains looming ahead. They appeared steeper and more forbidding than he expected.

“Don’t worry,” Adam said. “Shusara’s a doddle. I’ve been to the top a couple of times. It’s not so hard.”

Not for a fit youngster like him, Zach thought. But old people, children, and pets… Well, that might be more of a challenge. He could hope they wouldn’t have to climb all the way up. Rescue might arrive before then. Adam stopped the truck as they reached the last of the road. That broke the mountain’s spell, and Zach turned to him with a smile.

“Time to eat before we start?” Adam asked.

“Okay.” They jumped out and started to pass the word back down the line as the rest of the vehicles caught up and parked, some in neat lines, probably out of habit, some more haphazardly, thinking they’d never see their vehicles again anyway. People got out, stretched, and started organizing food. Kids and dogs began running around. Zach watched them nervously, worried about the air of chaos which quickly descended.

“Don’t worry,” Adam said. “We’ll round them all back up quick enough.”

“Right.”

“Let’s eat.”

Zach made himself eat more than usual, fueling up for the climb. But he had little appetite. All these people. And all here because of him. He kept looking back toward Arius, hoping to see another convoy of vehicles heading for them, the rest of the town. Yet the thought of even more people following frightened him too. While he ate, people kept coming over. They asked him questions. They wanted him to make decisions. They wanted leadership from him.

Surely someone older or with more of a position of authority would be better? But they came to him because he made the prediction. Somehow that meant he had to be the leader too. No wonder he could hardly eat. How the hell could he lead three hundred people fleeing for their lives?

The answer came to him after they cleared away lunch and began to prepare to leave. It came to him as he watched Adam moving around among people, helping them get ready for departure, going through backpacks to find anything that could be dumped. Barbara Torres did the same. Dr. Howie was speaking to people, older ones, or those with babies and young children. Listening to their fears, perhaps. Offering reassurances.

Zach breathed a little easier. If he did have to lead these people, he had companions he could look to for help and support. Adam, of course. Adam might not be certain anything was going to happen, but he’d support Zach anyway. And with Adam at his side, Zach could lead an army. He smiled, felt himself blush at the foolish notion. Torres? She’d help in a practical way, but would she support his leadership or undermine it? Had she been sent here to persuade people to turn back? Korrie would support him, and as a founder, her authority would be invaluable. Dr. Howie he knew less about, but as a founder and a doctor, he commanded respect. People clearly trusted him.